Posts by Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and a historian of early modern Britain & the Atlantic world. She holds a BA in History and Mathematics from Brown University and an MA in European & Russian Studies from Yale University. Madeleine has worked in archives and museums for years with a particular focus on photography and arts education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, film photography, and studying law while cuddling with her cat Georgia.

March 16, 2024

Gershwin’s Long-Lost Musical “La La Lucille” Rediscovered and Performed for the First Time

What's your favorite musical? Do you belt out “Defying Gravity” when you're alone? Do you still dance anytime “Seasons of Love” from Rent starts playing? Do you still dream of the incredible costumes from The Lion King? Chances are, if you're a Broadway enthusiast or music aficionado, you know George Gershwin's work. Born in 1898, the legendary composer produced classics throughout his short life before dying in 1937.

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March 5, 2024

Astronaut Takes Photo of Pyramids During His Last Day on ISS

The International Space Station is a triumph of human dreams and engineering. It has orbited the Earth for over 25 years now, and it has been visited by over 270 astronauts hailing from around the world. It has hosted an impressive 269 spacewalks, but it mainly serves as a laboratory in space for the conducting of high-tech research that has illuminated the far reaches of the galaxy.

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March 2, 2024

8,000-Year-Old Patagonia Cave Art Illuminates Ancient Climate Change

Cave art left behind by ancient humans has created many scientific mysteries. Who drew what when—the answers can tell us a lot about the early movement and the lives of humans and our ancient relatives. Sometimes cave art records human-ness such as handprints, or activities such as hunting. Sometimes the designs discovered painted in caves or carved into rocks are geometric in nature.

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February 26, 2024

Photographer Captures Rare “Green Flash” Coming From Venus

Recently in Sweden, photographer Peter Rosén caught a burst of several colors, especially green, around Venus in a dazzling, rare show. To fully appreciate the significance of this, it’s important to understand how light works. Light passes constantly around us and through our solar system, emanating from sources such as the sun. Sunlight—typically the white light we see illuminating our world—comes to us across millions of miles of space.

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